"WITHOUT TIES" MEETING OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SECTOR HEADS TAKES PLACE IN TSAKHKADZOR
Noyan Tapan
May 4, 2008
YEREVAN, MAY 4, NOYAN TAPAN. A meeting "without ties" of the heads
of the IT sector was held in Tsakhkadzor on May 1-3. The meeting was
entitled "The Ways of Information and Communication Development". It
was attneded by 80 heads of nearly 50 companies, and 20 representatives
of the RA ministry of economy, the State Customs Committee, the State
Tax Service, the Public Services Regulatory Commission, the RA State
Commission on Protection of Economic Competition, international donor
organizations and about as many representatives of the mass media.
During the meeting, round tales were conducted on the following
subjects: The Tax ans Customs Legislation and Administration of the
Republic of Armenia, The Education of Information and Communication
Technologies (ICT), and the Communication and Security.
The main problem raised during discussions on the last subject was
related to the factors affecting the quality and price formation
of data transmission services via the Internet. It was stated
that although the sector of Internet services has been liberalized,
ArmenTel CJSC does not actually provide other providers with channels
for provision of last mile Internet services to ultimate users. The
company also avoids connecting its channels to the networks of other
companies and provides itself Internet access and data transmission
services through fixed-line phone connection.
This creates for ArmenTel conditions for monopoly and the opportunity
to provide the indicated services at cheapest prices, which makes it
impossible for other companies to compete with ArmenTel in the sector
of last mile services and to attract investments to this sector. On
the last day of the meeting, discussion on this subject was held with
the participation of the RA minister of economy Nerses Yeritsian. He
proposed that representatives of the companies of the telecommunication
sector clarify the situation through research and propose possible
ways out in order to find legislative solutions to the problems. The
version of constructing a new fiber-optic cable for international data
transmission and a fixed-line network was not ruled out at the meeting.
During the round table on the subject "ICT Education", it was pointed
out that the use of information and communication technologies in the
comprehensive education system is being regulated gradually by such
steps as connecting schools to the Internet, the budgetary financing
of schools’ Internet traffic and the creation of school electronic
content. As for the issue of training of ICT specialists, there are
still problems with presentation of orders for preparation of experts
of the higher educational system, qualification of lecturers, and
the absence of levers on the private sector’s impact on the quality
of education and the educational programs.
According to N. Yeritsian, it is envisaged to solve the problem
related to tax and customs administration through introduction of
automated systems of new orders and registration.
The meeting was organized by the Union of IT Enterprises, the
USAID-financed Competitive Armenian Private Sector (CAPS) Project,
and the RA ministry of economy with the support of U Com company.